As protests and occupations against rising tuition fees escalate across the country, Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones, who supported yesterday’s Whitehall student protests, calls on the Met Police to end its use of kettling, stating the tactic amounts to "false imprisonment" and should be made "illegal".
Jenny Jones, in adopting a new and tougher stance on Met policing of protests, says:
"The biggest risk to young people at these demonstrations is from police tactics like kettling and the use of horses. Students have a right to protest without the risk of harm from police. It’s time kettling was publicly recognised for what it is: false imprisonment. It’s time the government made kettling illegal.
"I have not previously called for an end to kettling, as I could see its usefulness in managing certain groups such as football hooligans. But now I’ve had enough. The Met are using kettling indiscriminately, as a first resort tactic, and not applying the recommendations from the MPA civil liberties panel report which clearly states that basic facilities such as toilets and water must be provided along with regular communication between police and protesters."
Jenny Jones has issued requests to young people who attended the 24th November student tuition fees protests in London asking them to send her details of their experiences [1]. She says:
"I want to make sure that they [the Mayor and the Met] hear the voices of people who were there on the day and get a real sense of how those involved experienced the policing of the protests."
Jenny Jones is our candidate for London Mayor 2012. For more information on her campaign, please visit www.jennyforlondon.org
Note to editors
[1] See here for further details: https://london.greenparty.org.uk/region/london/news/30-11-2010-Jenny-Jones-request-for-information-on-the-policing-of-24th-November-student-protests-in.html